Eviction shield for nonprofits gets first approval

TRENTON — In a unanimous vote last night, City Council introduced an ordinance that would give the governing body latitude to protect nonprofit organizations and other community groups from being evicted from city-owned facilities they have agreements to use.

The measure, presented by North Ward Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, would give council the authority to approve or deny any effort by the city administration to force groups out of public buildings. It would also provide for a hearing to discuss any problems related to groups’ occupancy of the spaces.

The ordinance will have to survive a public hearing and a final council vote next month before it becomes law.

It comes after several groups, including a community food pantry and a teen boxing program, were locked out of city buildings in recent weeks.

The evictions were first reported by the Times earlier this month.

“If you read this ordinance, it will explain to you that at least it has to come before council before any drastic action is taken like that so we don’t have to read it in the newspapers or get a phone call saying that a group has been evicted,” Caldwell-Wilson said during last night’s meeting.

A food pantry run out of a city building on Fell Street and a teen mentoring program at the North Clinton Community Center were both forced to vacate their facilities after the city refused to honor their permits, claiming they had no idea the programs were there.

Both operations were run by the nonprofit Greater Donnelly Neighborhood Initiative, funded through a federal Weed & Seed grant and originally billed as city of Trenton programs when they started several years ago.

The Team Hope teen boxing program was forced out of a former police substation on South Broad Street earlier this month following allegations of narcotics activity taking place in the building. A police investigation has so far uncovered no evidence to support those claims.

Officials with Team Hope have denied the accusation, saying they were brought in retaliation by a rival martial arts group that had previously been asked not to use the facility after allegedly charging parents to participate in its classes.

The ordinance would also require Trenton’s new business administrator, Sam Hutchinson, to compile a list of all groups that are currently using public facilities.

“We’ve been asking for a long time of all the various 501(c)(3)s that are currently occupying city properties and whether they are under lease or under contract or under whatever so we’re apprised of it and we don’t get into this issue where certain groups are removed from certain buildings,” Caldwell-Wilson added. (The term 501(c)(3) includes charitable organizations.)

Hutchinson, who started work in the city this week, said last night he only learned of the ordinance yesterday afternoon and that he hadn’t yet had time to review it.